Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "de supermarkt" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce de supermarkt in Dutch?

de supermarkt is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /də ˈsypərmɑrkt/. It means “supermarket.” duh SUU-pur-markt — the u is the rounded front vowel, and the beat is on the first syllable.

duh SUU-pur-markt — the u is the rounded front vowel, and the beat is on the first syllable.

de supermarkt /də ˈsypərmɑrkt/

The accent sits on the first syllable, SU-permarkt, with the second element taking secondary weight. That is the standard compound pattern, and it is worth noting because the English word stresses the same syllable but with a completely different vowel in it.

Listen: de supermarkt

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Sound it out

s A plain hissing s to open, with no adjustment needed from English.

u The long close front rounded vowel of French "tu" — lips pursed, tongue forward. English "super" uses "oo" here, which puts the tongue in completely the wrong place.

per An unstressed middle syllable: unaspirated p, schwa, and a faint r. It passes almost unnoticed.

markt Short open "ah" followed by three consonants — r, k and t — all pronounced. Dutch is comfortable ending a word with this much material.

Hear it in a sentence

Ik ga naar de supermarkt.

I'm going to the supermarket.

Listen: Ik ga naar de supermarkt.

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"Ik ga naar de supermarkt" keeps the article, unlike "naar school" or "op kantoor" — Dutch drops the article only for institutions, not for shops. The sentence ends on that four-consonant cluster with nothing to soften it.

Where English speakers slip

The u becomes "oo" almost universally, since English "super" is spelled the same way. Dutch needs the tongue forward and the lips rounded. The final markt cluster is the other hurdle: learners drop the k or insert a vowel, when all four consonants should be released in one gesture.